Christmas Party
by odalys-ortiz
Summary: Jocelyn Carter and John Reese are the two top employees at Fern Industries but they haven't been exactly been friendly towards each other. With the holidays right around the corner, Harold needs some help setting up for the company Christmas party and decides that this is a great chance to help them clear the air. A/U but it has Careese :D


Disclaimer: The property of Person of Interest does not belong to me. I'm just borrowing characters for entertainment purposes.

 _A/N: Merry Christmas and happy holidays my fellow_ Careesers _. Tis the season once again and I have an interesting one for you this year. During our weekly shenanigans in the chat room, SW shared with me a tumbler page titled '25 Days Christmas Romance Challenge' and I decided to take a crack at the first one so this story will be A/U in that there are references to things, the setting itself is different. I hope that you enjoy and SW, you are the best beta for dealing with my stories that tend to get away from me and end up being twice as many words than I planned. Everyone,_ however _, you spend your day, let it be safe and wonderful :D_

Prompt: Character A and Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas Party.

* * *

Christmas Party

Jocelyn Carter was upset and frustrated but she did her best to remain composed in front of her fellow employees as she approached her employer's office for a meeting. It was the Christmas season but all she could think about was the very important client that was trying to decide who would represent their company and create their advertising campaign.

Jocelyn thought she had it in the bag after many sleepless nights of creating the perfect presentation. Then two weeks ago, she saw that another employee was in a meeting room with the same client. His name was John Reese, someone hired after her but had risen quickly through the ranks to match her sales numbers.

The few interactions between them were limited to curt greetings when passing by each other and nothing more. To Jocelyn, he was her rival because no one else in the company had been able to match her before; so why would she take the time to really get to know him?

The frosted glass door was in front of her now and Jocelyn did a last-minute maintenance check on herself, smoothing out her black skirt and taking care of her hair. With a deep breath, she opened the door and was greeted by the head of Fern Industries, Harold Fern. Jocelyn lightly tapped the door to get his attention. He looked up and gave her and inviting smile.

"Joss, so good to see you. Yes, come in. Thank you so much for coming today."

She fully entered before closing the door behind her. "Not a problem Harold." Jocelyn returned the smile. They had grown to be close friends these last few months. After she had gotten injured during her deployment and medically discharged, she had been lost and upset over what to do. One day, Jocelyn went to a local diner to mope over a cup of coffee when a slender, older man with a limp approached her out of the blue.

Jocelyn hadn't paid him any mind when he decided to take the empty seat across from her but did take in his appearance. The most noticeable features had been his glasses with thin frames and his slightly spiky hair that was a mix of brown with highlights of blonde on the ends.

He began to start a conversation with her, one that she hadn't participated in. Even when met with silence for his answers, he continued on before finally explaining why he approached her, to offer her a job. This took her aback before she chuckled and then commented that he must have been insane because he didn't know her.

Harold, as he introduced himself soon enough, explained that he could see that she looked lost with herself in how she hovered over of coffee with such a sad expression. He also explained that his company would offer her a purpose, to give her a real reason to continue on living but be happy to do it.

Jocelyn was flabbergasted by how easily Harold was able to read her and after much discussion, so much so that their cups needed a few refills, she finally caved and decided to join his advertising firm with the reassurance that her lack of experience wouldn't be a problem. Now here she was months later, happier than she had ever been since being discharged and she had Harold to thank for that.

Now Jocelyn, Joss for those she considered friends, stood in front of Harold's desk as she waited for whatever he wanted to talk to her about.

"Please have a seat." He invited and watched as she accepted. "Again, I appreciate you coming in today Joss." She simply waved it off. "As you know, the Christmas holiday is fast approaching and I wanted to do something special for everyone here to show my appreciation for putting their faith in me."

Joss was touched. "Oh Harold, I don't speak for everyone here but I can say for myself that you've done so much for me and how much I wish I could repay more for saving my life." It must have been fate that had them cross paths.

"That means a lot to me, Joss. I know it took a lot of convincing to get you here but you've been a star employee ever since. All I asked of anyone was to do their best and you've far exceeded it."

"Well, with what you're paying me weekly, it's only fair." The two shared a laugh before Joss continued. "So what do you want to do, have a party?"

Harold nodded before interlacing his fingers and putting them on his desk, a scowl marring his face. "That's precisely it. The problem is that I want it to be a surprise so everything would have to be set up after hours tonight and I will be unable to as I promised Grace I would go shopping with her for gifts."

Joss immediately understood what he wanted. "Harold, I would be more than happy to do the decorations for you. Spending time with your wife is important too."

Harold's smile brightened at her acceptance. "Thank you so much, Joss." He paused before continuing. "As I know that this is a large task to as of one person, I also asked someone else to help you." Before Joss could ask who, a knock at the door interrupted them. "Come in." When it opened and the person entered, she couldn't hide the scowl on her face as John Reese entered the office."

"You wanted to see me?" He asked before his eyes found the other occupant in the room and was taken aback by the hostile glare she sent his way.

"Yes John, please have a seat." He closed the door and did just that. "I just got through explaining to Joss what I was looking to do for the company this Christmas and she agreed to help me so I wanted the two of you to work together."

John silently nodded his head in agreement, remembering when they discussed the details yesterday. He had been wary of Jocelyn Carter for a while now as even when he tried to be friendly, she pushed him away and it was bothering him because he had been infatuated with her since his first day stepping through the front door of Fern industries. It was in part due to her sheer physical beauty. She had gorgeous doe-brown eyes that held a kind soul underneath them. Her lips were full and looked delicious. The rest of her body had a beautiful hourglass shape with a nice flair to her hips. When she strutted away from him, he couldn't stop himself from peeking as her rear swayed enticingly with each step.

However, those features were nothing compared to her inner beauty. When John inquired about her after noticing her looks, Harold explained how she was injured while on deployment. They shared similar backgrounds as he too was struggling how to adjust to a normal life after following orders for so long as an Army Ranger.

Readjusting in his seat, he looked over at her. "Joss?" He teased with a raised eyebrow, only knowing her proper name.

She simply huffed before crossing her arms over her chest before responding coldly. "That's for my friends, buddy. You can call me Jocelyn.

Harold, noticing the tension, played mediator. "Please calm down you two. I asked you both because I knew that I can trust you to keep it from everyone else. Before anything else could be said, Joss abruptly stood up.

"Don't worry Harold. I'll play nice for your sake because we're friends." She then turns her body to John. "I'll see you once we're off the clock," she said simply before walking out the door, leaving both men to sigh heavily.

"She's definitely quite the firecracker" John complemented, loving the passion that showed in how hard she worked. When he'd eavesdrop on her presentation outside of the conference room, he could hear the strength in her voice as it also carried a gentle caress that let you feel like she cared. He, unfortunately, hadn't been privileged enough to hear it directed at him and it again brought about the question as to her hostility. "I just don't get why she's angry at me." John rubbed his hands on his crisp, clean blue dress pants to help ease his anxiety.

Harold was at a loss for words himself. "I don't understand either John. I just got word from our high profile client that they decided to go ahead and broker a deal with us with Jocelyn for their representative as per the glowing recommendation you provided."

"What else could I say, Harold? She busted her ass to make an impressive presentation and the clients were just going to say no. It wasn't right."

Harold smiled at his employee's consideration. "That's one of the reasons why I gave you a job John. You shared the same heart and tenacity as her."

John smiled at the compliment before standing up. "Thanks. I can't ever repay you for saving my life but I'll definitely help any way I can." The two men shared a friendly smile between them before he exited the office. Glancing up at a nearby clock, there were only a few hours before he and Jocelyn would be left alone to turn this place into a more festive environment. He needed to come up with some kind of gameplay with the time he had left.

* * *

Joss got back to her private office on the other end of the floor. Before she could even give herself a chance to relax, a knock was heard and a smile crept across her lips. "Hello Shaw" she greeted cheerfully.

The other woman, with a short stature and dark hair, pulled up in a ponytail, chuckled. "I swear you've known me too long Joss."

"It hasn't been that long Shaw." She invited her to come inside before she plopped down on the chair across the wooden desk. She, like Joss, was a lost soul that Harold was able to convince to come work for him and Joss found herself helping Shaw get accustomed to her new surroundings. Through that, they grew to be fast friends who often went out for drinks after work.

"True. So what happened to you and that hot guy Reese?"

Joss felt her back go ramrod straight before leaning over to boot up her computer in an attempt at a distraction. "I don't know who you could be talking about Shaw."

She simply scoffed at the denial. "Okay, pretend all you want but don't deny that the guy isn't for you. Granted, he's not my type but that doesn't stop me from trying to play cupid."

"And why would you think I need help in my love life, Shaw. I'm very happy where I'm at." Though there were nights that she wished there was someone lying in bed with her to ward off the cold loneliness but Joss kept that to herself.

Helping herself to a piece of candy from a bowl near the edge of Joss's desk, Shaw unwrapped it before throwing it into her mouth. "Sometimes we need a good scratch. Then again, some of us want the whole shebang."

Joss pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as her computer continued to boot up. "I don't want that Shaw. I'm a broken mess thanks to what happened. I have to see a therapist for god's sake just to keep my sanity. Who'd be interested in that kind of baggage?"

Shaw's posture relaxed as she remembered when Joss opened up about her discharge and the stress of trying to figure out what to do with her life. She truly cared about her friend and respected her for all she went through. "I don't swing that way but if I did, I'd definitely be one. Joss, you are damn loyal and care about anyone, even if they feel like they don't belong. On top of that, have you looked at yourself in the mirror." With a waggle of the eyebrows, the two women laughed heartedly before Joss began typing her login information.

She felt much better. "Thanks, Shaw. I really appreciate it."

"You better. I don't say that to just anyone." She stood up and straightened her clothes. "But don't think I didn't catch you not saying you wouldn't think about Reese." Before Joss could argue, Shaw slipped out the door, leaving her to roll her eyes before thinking about what she said.

Was she being too harsh? "Ugh" Joss groaned before shaking her head. No, she couldn't trust him. She saw him talking with the clients that she was trying to win over with her own eyes. Brushing off Shaw's attempts at playing matchmaker, Joss finally got down to work.

* * *

John entered his office with a bowed head. He wished that he could understand why Jocelyn hated him so much. It was wrong for him to feel this way about someone he barely knew, but he swore up and down that there was a connection when their eyes met. His heart skipped a beat and his breathing quickened with just a simple look from her.

A light padding caught John's attention just as he sat in his leather chair. "Hey Lionel" he greeted as the short, pudgy man entered, closed his door and helped himself to one of the seats across his desk.

"How's it going Wonderboy? Saw you going into Glasses' office with Carter." Lionel had quite the creative nicknames for everyone. His for John came from how he just seemed to be so efficient at his job that he couldn't be human. Of course, they were all forms of endearment for people he considered friends. Like John, Lionel was in a bad place before Harold. He sought to fix his problems at the bottom of a bottle. One night, he got into a fight that left him in an overnight holding cell. Harold came to pay off his bail before explaining that he could help him. Next thing Lionel knew, he had been sober for months and working hard as an image designer. He was grateful to have a reason to wake up every morning. "Trying to get permission to ask her out?"

John rolled his eyes, wondering if he was really that obvious about wanting to pursue her romantically. It was an absurd idea because again, he didn't know much about her. Maybe tonight could give him the opportunity. "Very funny" he responded flatly to Lionel's earlier comment before looking to his computer for a distraction. "Besides, it was work related." Which wasn't really a lie since the two of them would be decorating the office for a party as per Harold's request.

"Okay fine, don't tell your friend about your secret plan to win Carter over."

"I have no such thing" John growled before leaning back and pinching his nose to chase away the slowly creeping headache. "Right now, I can't bother if she's angry at me for God knows what."

"Well, it couldn't be because of your bubbly personality." The two men shared a chuckle. "But in all seriousness, John, figure out what you did wrong because otherwise, you'll be mopey all day since you both work together."

John shook his head in disbelief. "What makes you think that I intentionally did something wrong?"

"Doesn't matter if you did or not. Trust me. As a guy who went through a rough divorce that had me drunk off my ass, saying you're sorry goes a long way to a woman, even if you think you're right," he explained before lifting himself up from the chair. "In the meantime, go ahead and pretend that you're not going to try and chase her."

"But I'm not…" But before John could finish, the door closed behind Lionel. Leaving him to sigh loudly, John glanced at the clock and saw that he had some time before he would be alone with Jocelyn. He hoped that maybe with some alone time, they could resolve what her grievances were with him.

* * *

The clock hit 5 pm, signaling that everyone head on home for the day. At least all but two people who had other plans. It sounded like a stampede as the many Fern employees made their exit. It took a few minutes of waiting to determine that the coast was clear before finally John and Joss exited their respective offices.

Glancing at each other, John simply gave her an uneasy smile while she returned with a nod of her head before approaching him. "So Harold let me know that he left his office open and everything that we need will be right there for us" John explained as they walked side by side.

"Okay, that sounds good. Let's see what he's got and we'll figure out where to start" Joss strategized and John nodded in agreement.

The frosted glass door was in front of them again and John reached over to turn the knob. As expected, it gave way and allowed them to enter. Much to their surprise, the office was now filled with a number of cardboard boxes with labels ranging from lights to ornaments. "Guess he's going all out" John commented as he allowed Jocelyn to enter first before following.

"It almost doesn't seem right," She said as she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail before removing her black dress jacket to drape it over the back of the chair she sat in earlier.

John stopped just as he circled behind the desk, clearly confused by her comment. "What do you mean?"

Her face grew somber as she looked him dead in the eye. "Harold wants to do this to thank us when in reality, we should be the ones thanking him." Joss's breath hitched as she looked into John's light blue eyes. She had never seen eyes like his before. There were almost entrancing her, boring into her very soul. She forced herself to look away because if she didn't, she swore she would drown. What the hell was wrong with her? Even if John Reese was a handsome specimen, he was still a backstabber. Trust was important to Joss and she wouldn't ever feel that she could trust him.

John, unaware of Jocelyn's inner turmoil, picked up one of the boxes that had lights and put it on the top of the desk so that he could get a better look at what he had to work with. Lifting the lid, there was a clear wire with multi-color bulbs of red, green, and white hanging from it bundled inside. "I think these lights will be easy to do first. Just need some tape."

As they scoured the office, Joss spotted a roll of clear tape sitting on a bookshelf. "There's some" she pointed out.

John decided to make himself comfortable too as she walked over to grab the tape. "How about you go find a good spot while I get myself ready?" Jocelyn eyed him before nodding and leaving him to his part. After taking off his blue dress jacket and laying it on Harold's chair, John unbuttoned his white dress shirt's cuffs before rolling the sleeves up to the elbow. He was surprised to hear a muffled 'oh' and decided to see what was going on.

Getting a good grip on the box, John slowly made his way to the main floor of the office as he searched for where the noise came from. When he looked towards the large floor to ceiling windows that faced the street below, his eyes widened as he could see flakes of white fall like a sheet in front of it. There was Jocelyn also, standing there with her back towards him and a hand pressed up against the cool glass.

Carefully putting the box down near a wall, he joined her, being sure to give them a good amount of space between them. The silence stretched between them until John decided to speak up. "Well ain't that a sight," he said with a sense of awe at being able to witness this. If he had been asked months ago, John doubted that he'd be here because of the demons that clawed at his soul every day.

"Mmmhmm" Joss simply said, not paying John any mind as she fought back the tears. It was so hard to believe that she found herself here at this very moment and it was all thanks to Harold. Nostalgia gripped her for a few more seconds before returning to the task at hand. "I think right here will be a good place to hang them" lifting her hand as high as it would go.

"Alright, let's get to it." Without giving her a chance to move, John slipped closer and Joss caught a whiff of his purely masculine scent.

Its sheer intensity sent her scrambling to put some distance between them, surprising and confusing him. "Sorry, got a small shock" Joss lamely explained.

However, John didn't buy it and anger filled him. "Look, Jocelyn, I don't know what your problem is with me but I want to clear the air already. We work together after all."

She scoffed before crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't act like you don't know."

"I don't! That's why I'm asking." John's voice became a little louder as his frustration grew.

"The Ingram account," she put simply as a strand of hair escaped her ponytail to hug the side if her face.

"What about it?"

"You know exactly what. I saw you two weeks ago." The frustration was mounting between them. "The nerve of you to steal someone else's client like that…"

John threw up his hands in surrender. "What the hell are you talking about? Harold asked me to talk to them because they were going to go with someone else. I just explained that they would have been foolish to not go with you because I saw how hard you worked on it, to the point that you looked ready to pass out when you were here."

Joss gasped, unable to process the information.

"If you don't believe me, go call Harold. He just told me earlier today that you got the client." John saw her turn her head away, a flash of shame crossing her face. "If you knew anything about me, you'd know I would never betray someone like that. My character wouldn't allow it." He took a breathe to call himself down. "Look, you can head home. It's clear that you don't want to be here with me. I'll take care of all of this." Without a second glance, he walked over to the box and kneeled down to grab the first row of light to be hung.

Jocelyn spoke up but this time it was so quiet that he almost didn't hear her. "Back when I was in the army, they asked me to interrogate a guy who was transporting supplies in his truck to a terrorist group. His name was Yusif. The only reason he did it was to protect his family and was terrified to tell me anything. I gave him my word that he would be safe. Then after I got the information, he went with a group of our guys to lead them to a warehouse. When they got back, Yusif wasn't with him. The leader, Daniels, said in no uncertain terms, that they did something to him and I realized what happened. They didn't care that I gave him my word. The only thing that mattered was getting to the supplies and destroying them. I've lost the ability to trust people ever since." When John looked over his shoulder, he found Jocelyn slump up again the wall with her legs pulled up to her chest. "I'm so sorry."

Straightening up, John walked over to where she was. The pain of reliving such a memory struck him because she trusted him with something so personal like that. Jocelyn was just like him in that she cared about her word deeply. He leaned up against the wall next to her before sliding down and stretching his long legs in front of him. "Serving your country is a crazy thing. There are things that can't be unseen that eat away at you for as long as you live. I was a Ranger, saw lots of guys die during my time. I was good at following orders. I had to be if I was going to survive. Then when I was let go, I felt so lost because all I knew, my purpose, was gone. Then Harold came and saved my life after I got into a fight with some guys. He came and bailed me out because he didn't like to see me lash out the way I did."

John heard a sniffle next to him. "Harold helped me too. I had a close call with a landmine while the guy with me died. The guilt of why I survived ate away at me and they medically discharged me. Harold found me moping over a cup of coffee and offered me a chance."

John gave an understanding nod just as Jocelyn lifted her head. She had a small smile that made her looked unbelievably beautiful. "You can call me Joss if you want, John."

He returned the gesture, realizing that they had settled their little problem. "I would love to Joss." Without thinking, he patted her on her knee. "Now how about we get to work getting this place into the holiday spirit."

"Alright." She allowed John to get up first and took the hand he offered to help her. Standing upright, the two were reluctant to let go of their intertwined hands. Both kept staring at them and each other before John gave hers a squeeze. Before anything was said, they drew apart and went back to work with first getting the lights on the window, trying to ignore the flicker of attraction between them.

Thanks to their impeccable teamwork, the floor was completely transformed from dreary and boring to bright and colorful. From the rows of lights flickering across the window to the decorated glass balls and angels hanging from the ceiling, John and Joss were able to really bring in the holiday spirit.

There were a few bumps and looks here and there but they weren't unwelcome. John and Joss also passed the time by talking and getting to know one another over some pizza and soda they ordered when they decided to take a break.

It was almost 8 when Joss was hanging up the last few ornaments. With the high ceiling, she needed the assistance of a ladder and John held it steady for her. "Harold certainly had enough stuff, didn't he?" She casually asked her companion.

He chuckled as he looked around at their handiwork. "Yeah, he did. Good teamwork partner." John added a playful wink and spotted a small blush as she went about tying the string together to secure the ornament. He was amazed at the shift in their relationship from earlier today. He was happy to be given this time to really bond with Joss.

"And done" she happily announced with the red glass ball and angel swaying slightly before she slowly descended the ladder. Firmly on the ground, Joss straightened her clothes before pulling her hair free from the elastic band. A huge sigh of relief escaped her as John put the ladder back in the maintenance closet.

He came back to her a few seconds later and found her looking out the window again, the snow continuing to fall. "I guess that's it then."

Joss looked over at him before looking back at the snow. "Yeah. I'm sorry again for the misunderstanding."

John simply brushed it off. "Thank you for letting me see who Jocelyn Carter is. I like what I see."

When they looked at each other again, Joss smiled before reaching over to take his hand in hers. "I like who John Reese is too."

John swallowed hard before putting his heart on the line. "Enough to go out with me?" When he witnessed her eyes widened, he was quick to apologize, thinking he overstepped his boundaries.

"Don't apologize John. Just set the date, time, and place and I'll be there." Joss pulled herself closer to him so that she could press her lips lightly against his cheek, swallowing his worries once and for all. There was something between them and she wanted to explore it further.

"I'll be sure to do just that. For now, we should head home. I'm tired." John made his way to Harold's office.

Joss followed. "Yeah, me too." After tidying up and grabbing their coats, the two walked out and towards the elevator. As they waited for the car, they looked at their reflections in the stainless steel door and Joss inched her body closer. When they looked at each other, a promising smile was shared between them.

With a ding, the door slide open the offer the empty elevator car to the couple. Stepping through, they took in the festive atmosphere before the door closed. The ride was silent as the car traveled to the first floor. With another ding, the door opened and they both exited. They had parked their cars in a nearby garage, John and Joss continued having a friendly exchange as they discussed where they would be going on their first date.

John was parked closer so he offered to drive Joss to her car which she gratefully accepted. In the short trip, she gave him a hard time for liking classic rock when it came up on his radio and he defended his love for the music.

Reaching her car, Joss was reluctant to open the door and finally bid John a good night. She wanted to remain in his presence because the loneliness she was used to was so painful. Then she reminded herself to not worry because this was only the first step. Joss trusted him and somehow she knew that she wouldn't regret it with him.

The looking of longing in his eyes told her that he felt the same and this time, Joss moved over the center console to give the man a brief peck on the lips. Even though it was short, both felt a jolt of electric rush through their bodies. Both uttered 'wow' because the feeling shocked them so much before coming to their senses. Joss finally opened the door and stepped out into the frigid air to get in her own car. John patiently waited until Joss was safely in her car before waving her off. She returned the gesture and the two coworkers went their separate ways with much anticipation for the future.


End file.
